The present invention is generally concerned with sheet handling apparatus, and more particularly with apparatus for controlling the printing means in the combination of sheet feeding means and a postage meter wherein the postage meter includes a rotary sheet feeding and printing drum.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 657,546 for a Microprocessor Controlled D.C. Motor For Controlling Printing Means, filed by W. Kirshner and E. Salazar, Oct. 4, 1984, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, there is described a postage meter which includes a rotary sheet feeding and printing drum coupled to a D.C. motor which is controlled by a microprocessor programmed for causing the drum to print indicia on mailpieces fed to the drum. The indicia is printed on each mailpiece a fixed, predetermined, distance from the leading edge of each mailpiece, independently of variations in the velocity of the respective mailpieces. In particular, drum rotation from a home position is commenced after a predetermined time delay which is adjusted with the velocity of the respective mailpieces fed to the drum, in order to provide for uniform spacing of the indicia from the leading edges of the respective mailpieces, as the drum is cyclically rotated for printing the indicia on each mailpiece while feeding the same downstream beneath the drum as the drum returns to its home position.
It has been found that slight variations occur in the marginal spacing of the indicia from the leading edges of successively fed mailpieces, although the velocity of the mailpieces remains constant, primarily due to the mailpieces having different thicknesses. In order to compensate for such variations in marginal spacing, it is desirable that the customer be provided with the capability of adjusting the marginal spacing of the indicia from mailpiece to mailpiece. In addition, it is desirable to provide the customer with this capability to allow for varying the margin on bordered mailpieces or in instances when the indicia is a slogan rather than postage or some other unit value, alone or in combination with a slogan. Further, it is preferable to provide this capability while at the same time compensating for deviations in the marginal spacing which would otherwise accompany different mailpiece velocities.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide apparatus for controlling printing means;
Another object is to provide, in combination with means for printing indicia on a sheet, and microcomputer means for controlling the indicia printing means to cause the indicia to be printed a predetermined distance from an edge of the sheet, an improvement for changing the marginal distance;
Another object is to provide, in combination with means for printing indicia and means for feeding sheets to the printing means, apparatus for controlling the location of printing the indicia on respective sheets fed to the printing means;
Another object is to provide, sheet handling apparatus including means for feeding a sheet, means for printing postage indicia on the sheet, and operator-controlled means for controlling the marginal distance from the leading edge of the sheet that the postage indicia is printed on the sheet; and
Another object is to provide, in combination with a mailing machine and a postage meter, wherein the mailing machine includes sheet feeding means, the postage meter includes a rotary sheet feeding and indicia printing drum, and the mailing machine includes a D.C. motor coupled to the drum and controlled by a microcomputer, an improvement for controlling the location of printing the indicia on respective sheets fed to the drum.